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INTO A BURNING HOME TO SAVE A
LIFE:
SEVEN HONORED IN WESTWOOD
Bergen Record
By BEAU PHILLIPS, Staff Writer
Date: 07-01-1993, Thursday
George Buono was patrolling the peaceful streets of Emerson about 4:15
a.m. when he heard the call. In neighboring Westwood, a home was burning,
and people were trapped inside.
He didn't have to go -- it was not on his beat, and he was listening to
the Westwood radio because things were slow in his town. But there was
never a second thought.
Buono was one of seven people honored Tuesday night by the Westwood mayor
and council for brave efforts April 5 that saved a woman's life.
Buono, along with Westwood officers William Pesler and Rolf Bormann, were
among the first to arrive at the blaze, which claimed the life of
89-year-old Carrie Williams.
The three policemen, along with Noris Cobin, who lives across the street
from the Lewis Place home, dashed unprotected into the burning house
looking for Williams and her daughter, Alice.
Time and again the men were beaten back by smoke and heat from the fire.
They tried different doors and broke windows hoping to reduce the smoke
and heat, but could not reach the women, the three policemen said.
Moments later, three Westwood firefighters, Lawrence Schwarz, Nicholas
Stamatopoulos, and Lt. William Quinn, arrived. They were from the ladder
truck -- the water truck was still hooking up to a hydrant -- and without
hoses they, too, rushed into the blaze, Quinn said.
The smoke was a solid wall from ceiling to floor, so the firefighters
dropped to their knees, feeling blindly for the trapped
victims, Quinn said.
It was Stamatopoulos who finally found Alice Williams, hoisted her
unconscious body and carried her from the home. Once outside, the rescuers
realized Williams was not breathing and had no pulse.
Schwarz and Pesler performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation and revived
Williams. "By the time they got her on a stretcher, she had a light pulse
and was attempting to breathe on her own," Pesler said.
Alice Williams is recovering at the home of a sister in Waterbury, N.Y.
Last week, she returned to Westwood for the first time since the fire to
visit family members. A cousin, Joan Gardner, said the lifelong Lewis
Place resident hopes to rebuild the damaged home and move back in.
For their bravery, each man received a commendation from the town and a
standing ovation from the nearly 100 residents who attended the ceremony.
"I have been in this town 27 years and I am genuinely impressed with the
dedication and duty these people have," said Mayor Henry Geier.
"The victim who was revived is still alive today. You really saved a
life," Geier told the seven honorees.
Of Cobin, Geier said: "Here's a citizen who just saw a problem and jumped
in."
Said Schwarz: "You always have concerns and considerations when you pull
up to a fire, but you still do the job. If we had second thoughts, Mrs.
Williams might not still be alive."
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